


The Secrets to Success

by Emery



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: Fluff, Kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-11
Updated: 2013-03-11
Packaged: 2017-12-04 23:50:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/716480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emery/pseuds/Emery
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's all thanks to Barnaby that Apollon Media's famous hero duo is rising so rapidly in HeroTV's rankings, but it's more than Barnaby's new talent as a young hero that has warranted his and Wild Tiger's success.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Secrets to Success

On the surface it seemed like nothing but a popularity scheme, but to Barnaby it was actually much, much more. When he promised Kotetsu a kiss for every one hundred points the old man managed to rack up during the current season of Hero TV, Kotetsu needed no further motivation to work even harder than usual and keep his blunders to a minimum. It was a win-win situation for both parties involved—Kotetsu got more points and rose in the rankings; Barnaby was benefited by his partner’s hard work, which gained him more points as well; the duo was given more screen time, more interview time, and even a small additional sponsorship; and best of all were the little secrets Kotetsu and Barnaby shared every time Wild Tiger managed to rack up that additional one hundred points.

Sometimes the kisses were tiny things like a peck on the cheek or on the top of Kotetsu’s head as Barnaby passed by his desk on the way to the break room. Those small displays of affection became like a game for them during their daily hours spent in the Apollon Media building—a game of avoiding the cameras, avoiding the secretary, avoiding anything that could even closely resemble a recording device. It was still early during their partnership, and both Kotetsu and Barnaby were determined for the city to find out about their relationship when  _they_ chose for it to, not due to some viral video floating around the internet and the news reels for weeks like a debauched scandal. They shuddered to think what the public would make of a simple innocent picture but also laughed inwardly at the thought, because they both knew that the  _real_  scandals happened far from the view of camera flashes and snapping shutters. 

Those were the kisses Kotetsu looked forward to the most, though they were few and far between. He could always hope that, on the day he happened to reach his current point goal, Barnaby would invite him over for a drink or would accept an invitation to visit Kotetsu, instead. It was during those few private moments that Barnaby granted the best rewards and the ones that Kotetsu savored the most.

When they sauntered into Kotetsu’s apartment that evening, Kotetsu was grinning ear to ear with eager anticipation. He had earned enough points that day for three kisses from Barnaby, even going so far as to rise one spot in HeroTV’s current rankings. Surely Barnaby would be proud enough of him to give a  _thorough_  reward. He had no excuse not to do so tonight, since, for one rare occasion of an evening, they had the freedom of privacy and the entirety of Kotetsu’s apartment to do as they pleased in.

“You want a drink, Bunny?”

The blond shrugged his jacket from his shoulders and draped it neatly over one arm of Kotetsu’s couch. “Just the usual is fine.”

Kotetsu had never kept wine on a regular basis until Barnaby had started visiting, but afterwards it had become nothing short of a necessity. Not only was it Barnaby’s favorite alcoholic drink, but it was nice when the young man’s guard was down and his usually harsh personality was softened by the wine’s light buzz. It made nights like this one, when Kotetsu so desperately wanted Barnaby’s loving caresses and soft sweet lips instead of his scolding commands, so much easier to enjoy.

“I don’t suppose you’ve kept up with exactly how many points I totaled today?”

Barnaby preoccupied himself with poking through Kotetsu’s record collection until Kotetsu shoved a glass full of wine into his hand. The blond peered up through his bangs from his position kneeling on the floor, and his lips curled up into a coy smile just as his eyes glinted with anticipation. “Of course I know. It would be careless of me to not keep up with our standings, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, especially when you promised—“

“You have such a one-track mind, old man,” Barnaby huffed as he pulled a record from the shelf and brought the edge of the wine glass to his lips, unconsciously sliding his tongue over them before taking a sip.

Kotetsu’s eyes tracked every movement. His jaw dropped a bit when that tongue darted out for moment too brief, and before Kotetsu knew it he was taking a step towards the young hero. Barnaby had his back turned and was putting the record on with one hand—from the looks of it, he had selected some classic jazz piano—while continuing to hold his glass close to his lips with the other in anticipation of his next flavorful sip. When strong arms wrapped around him from behind, he hadn’t even seen it coming.

Warm breath tickled the back of Barnaby’s neck, and Kotetsu buried his nose into the soft blond curls to breathe in the scent of the young man’s cologne. “One-track mind or not, you owe me something,” he whispered huskily into Barnaby’s ear. Actually, Barnaby owed him more than one something, but that was only a triviality. If things went according to Kotetsu’s plan, it wouldn’t matter how many points he had actually gained that day, because neither of them were going to want to stop kissing once they had started.

Unfortunately for Kotetsu, however, Barnaby’s plan was not the same. He smiled coyly as he slid with ease from Kotetsu’s grasp and the tones of the record’s music filled the room.

So Kotetsu would have to wait until Barnaby had had a glass or two. That wasn’t a problem. He could wait. Or could he?

As Barnaby escaped smoothly back to the couch, he managed to surprise Kotetsu with a swift peck to the cheek, never once losing the brilliant and rare smile that so occupied his features. Kotetsu blinked in shock at the words that slipped so teasingly from Barnaby’s mouth: “There’s one.”

“You owe me two more.” Kotetsu spoke slowly, recovering from Barnaby’s sudden move.

On the other side of the room, Barnaby flopped down onto the couch and pleasantly patted the spot beside him. “You’ll get them, Kotetsu, don’t worry.” The sultry look in his emerald eyes affirmed his words and was enough to satisfy Kotetsu for the moment, who only shrugged to himself and took a plentiful gulp of his own liquor.

Kotetsu wasn’t sure if he would actually be able to turn two kisses into a night-long affair, but he was more than willing to accept the challenge.


End file.
